I’ve come across many articles touting the differences between digital and social media. Here’s one, for example, that suggests the words have lost their meaning entirely. It raises some good questions. What does digital even mean, anyway? And isn’t all media basically social in nature? A great take on it comes from Cisco’s Vice President of Digital, Mark Yolton, who provides deeper insight into “What is Digital?”

As marketers, we must think beyond social media and consider how digital components like web, mobile and video can further enhance the user experience and boost the perception in such a way that ultimately leads to a purchase. That’s exactly what we’ve done at Cisco. We did it by aligning social, web, mobile and video capabilities under one organization so that we can offer customers, partners and influencers an integrated experience. Clearly, social media is a huge part of today’s digital journey.

Today’s students are connected. This past holiday break, I was reminded just how much Gen Y (18-30 year olds) requires anytime access to the tools in their life.

I came to the realization that board games and cards may become a thing of the past. If you don’t have a smartphone and/or tablet, you’re considered old school. I do have one of the two so I’m only half old school. Smartphones and technology have come a long way. I still have a bunch of physical maps in my car from when I first moved to California. I honestly don’t remember the last time I touched that stack of maps with built in navigation and point to point map applications in my phone that’ll take me where I need to go without having to plan the physical route myself beforehand. Read More »

When you think of Thailand, historic Buddhist temples and shrines usually come to mind. However, during my visit to the golden land last week, I was pleasantly surprised by the proliferation of social and digital media. From QR codes to Facebook logos splattered across the many storefront windows, it’s no wonder Bangkok is ranked the largest Facebook city and Thailand ranked 16th largest Facebook country. While dining at a local restaurant in Chiang Rai, it was hard not to do a Facebook check-in when promotional materials were easily visible on tables, walls and even menus. And yes, I checked in and received my 5% discount.

Although Thailand is considered a developing country according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), it’s use of digital and social media certainly makes the country advanced by any standard. According to eMarketer, Thailand is ranked fourth among Southeast Asian countries in the percentage of “likes” and “follows” corporate brands receive from consumers. The top three are Vietnam, Philippines and Malaysia. Here are additional data from an eMarketer report:

47% of APAC companies use SM, and 56% are planning to use SM

47% of APAC companies use SM, and 56% are planning to use SM

This year, Asia-Pacific will pass North America as the region with the most Facebook users

Asia-Pacific has three times as many social network users as North America

For marketers and communicators, this presents a great opportunity to expand your company’s digital and social footprint. At Cisco, we are continually experimenting how to reach customers and influencers in various countries through social media. We currently have over 200 social channels globally, and approximately 12 in APAC. That includes properties on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, as well as global outlets such as Weibo and VKontakte.

Stratford, Ontario, is a city which has continued to grow and be successful even after multiple changes in industry have occurred. Although we are a city renowned for our Shakespeare Festival, we are also becoming a leader in digital media and infrastructure, as witnessed by the hosting of Canada 3.0 for the fourth time this year.

Canada 3.0 is an annual event which gathers representatives from private industry, government and academia, as well as startups, to discuss and exchange ideas around digital innovation in Canada, and more specifically, how to elevate Canada’s position in the global digital economy.

We have the ability to host a nationally significant event such as Canada 3.0 as a result of our strategy to invest in digital infrastructure and making it a major priority. Over the past five years, through Rhyzome Networks, a 50 km transmission grid of buried optical fibre has been installed – as well as a city-wide Wi-Fi network – which has made Stratford a leader in digital infrastructure. This has lead to Stratford becoming recognized over the past two years by the Intelligent Community Forum as one of the Top 7 Intelligent Communities in the world.

Business video projects are highly visible and, if well planned, can showcase the strategic value of IT to your organization. Many organizations plan to eventually adopt multiple Business Video tools, such as:

Telepresence for collaboration, interviewing, and sharing centralized experts with customers;

Conferencing for team meetings and customer training;

Digital signage for advertising and employee news; and,

Internal web portals for training videos on demand.

When you begin considering just how using video in these ways can transform your business, it is important to understand the impact it will have on IT. Engaging with a strong service partner like Cisco will help you to identify the architectural considerations as you plan, build and manage these projects. Read More »

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